Cable modem router

[machenryr]

I have had a terrible problem with my cable modem provided by Comcast Xfinity. Two years ago the repeatedly cane out and ended up replacing 3 different models, all the sand type and supposedly their high end model. Never fixed it.

So yesterday I decided to buy a replacement. I did a workaround so I wasn’t dead for all this time. I threw caution to the wind and braved the virus and went to Best Buy. I should have just researched and ordered online. Amazon or someplace. But I went there over the weekend and figured I knew what i wanted. The best I could afford. NETGEAR C6300v2. He said there’s another model he’d suggest but they didn’t have it in stock. $179. Got home set it up. Looked it up on amazon and it’s not even current I don’t think. $99. WTF?

I’m taking it back. I think. Suggestions? I need it to also have at least four other Ethernet ports. It’s connecting three MPs.

And for the record it works. I want it to be the best as it’s going into a high end recording studio that also uses Ethernet for its communication protocol. And I just feel ripped off.

 

[Juicy Box]

Is the Xfinity modem going dead on both wireless and wired?

What is the speeds you are paying for?

You can find an old DOCSIS 3.0 used on eBay for pretty cheap sometimes. I recommend the Surfboard modems. I am not currently with Comcast, but when I am, I use SB6183. I found a SB6143 on eBay for $12, I got it for my parents.

Just get an old modem that meets your needs, and then use any wireless router you want.

 

[Banglazed]

You should never lease any modem from Comcast or any provider since most of them supply modems lower than DOSCIS 3.0 so you’re better off investing in buying your own modem.

The combo aren’t great so buy separate device. Any cheap Arris DOSCIS 3.0 will work as long as it’s capable Of handling your download and upload speed. You might be able to find cheaper ones. I would recommend AC 2900+ for router.

$47

ARRIS Surfboard SB6141 Doscis 3.0 Cable Modem | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ARRIS Surfboard SB6141 Doscis 3.0 Cable Modem at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

rover.ebay.com

$140

ASUS RT-AC3100 Dual-Band Gaming Wireless Wi-Fi Router 2.4GHz 5.0GHz (Renewed) | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ASUS RT-AC3100 Dual-Band Gaming Wireless Wi-Fi Router 2.4GHz 5.0GHz (Renewed) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

rover.ebay.com

 

[chown33]

The ISP's website frequently has a list of modems it finds acceptable. My ISP is OK with most recent Arris modems, but it's best to check with your specific ISP to find out specific models.

 

[machenryr]

I have a separate netgear gigabit 5 port router. So I don’t NEED the router combination. I just like that I can’t get rid of some kluge. If it’s better for me to keep it, fine. I’m not sure why.

The current speeds are 3.1? Because of my unique and high end audio interfaces that use Ethernet rather than usb, I want the fastest possible. Plus I’m networking three MPs. The main one is the new 16 core 7,1.

 

[machenryr]

Is the Xfinity modem going dead on both wireless and wired?

What is the speeds you are paying for?

You can find an old DOCSIS 3.0 used on eBay for pretty cheap sometimes. I recommend the Surfboard modems. I am not currently with Comcast, but when I am, I use SB6183. I found a SB6143 on eBay for $12, I got it for my parents.

Just get an old modem that meets your needs, and then use any wireless router you want.

Not exactly going dead. But Ethernet ports slowly started going SUPER SLOW. SUPER. The audio developer came up with a software fix that disabled one of the Mac ports for the internet. It happened on one Mac. Three different Xfinity modems. We have two separate internet accounts. It didn’t happen on the other account. The developer says he’s convinced the problem is the modem. I finally replaced it and havent yet seen it again for over 24 hours. But it’s a slow death. I’m not convinced it won’t return. Wifi is totally fine. That’s how I’ve had to get internet on this Mac.

 

[chown33]

I would try isolating things from the cable-modem as much as possible.

A couple of routers have already been mentioned.

A high-speed Ethernet switch (not a hub) is pretty inexpensive. They often come in 4-port, 5-port, and 8-port versions with little cost difference. IIRC, one advantage of a switch is that it can connect 2 hosts together directly (I may be mistaken on that, it's from memory).

As a device separate from a router or a cable modem, an Ethernet switch can also be replaced or upgraded independently. In other words, if the Ethernet between hosts Pinky and Brain is slow, and both are on the switch, you can troubleshoot by moving one to a non-switch position (e.g. on the router), or by replacing with another switch. If you want to do that kind of thing with a combo device, you have to replace the entire combo device.

You can also keep a spare switch around for troubleshooting. I've a gigabit switch and a 100Mb switch. I kept the latter when I upgraded to the former, because it still works. It's come in handy when I was fiddling with my wiring.

A much older 10Mb switch went south on me when its power-supply jack started going intermittent. It would lose power long enough to kill transfers, but not long enough to see anything obvious in the LEDs. I took it apart after replacing it, and found the solder joint on the jack had flaked out. Resoldering fixed it, but by then I'd already upgraded to 100, so it went to Goodwill.

 

[machenryr]

I’ve separated and separated and had many people try and troubleshoot this for years. I think it has to do with a few devices that terminally hate each other. The Xfinity modem, Metric Halo interface that uses Ethernet and Digital Performer. Comcast came out three times, replaced cable, modems. I’ve had engineers come. Even Apple Engineering got involved with the new Mac Pro. This is just the latest in troubleshooting for me. I think the modem has always failed, bottom line. It won’t fix everything but I’m interested in replacing with the highest speed I can. I’m willing to spend $200.

 

[Banglazed]

I have a separate netgear gigabit 5 port router. So I don’t NEED the router combination. I just like that I can’t get rid of some kluge. If it’s better for me to keep it, fine. I’m not sure why.

The current speeds are 3.1? Because of my unique and high end audio interfaces that use Ethernet rather than usb, I want the fastest possible. Plus I’m networking three MPs. The main one is the new 16 core 7,1.

I only suggested those devices because NETGEAR C6300v2 is a combo modem up to 680 mbps download speed + router AC1750. However, if there is any issues, you’ll need to replace the entire unit compare to replace individual that may be easier to diagnose issue. If you had separate units, you could’ve easily disconnected the router and use your switch instead. If there still issue, problem either stem from modem or ISP if you’re certain the switch is 100% operational. However, if the problem is the ISP, then replacing any hardware would be useless.

What is your internet plan? When you set up the modem, did you call Comcast and provide the MAC address of the modem to have provision the right speed? As a customer, you can always complain if you’re not getting your advertised speed. You should get a higher download speed than advertised. When I had Comcast, my speed wasn’t consistent and reliable. Sometimes, I would get brief interruption and some nights just no connectivity without any notice.

 

[Juicy Box]

What is the speeds you are paying for?

The current speeds are 3.1?

What internet speeds are you paying for, like 25Mbps? 100Mbps? 300Mbps? etc.

This matters because it is hard to recommend a cable modem without knowing what it should support.

Because of my unique and high end audio interfaces that use Ethernet rather than usb, I want the fastest possible. Plus I’m networking three MPs. The main one is the new 16 core 7,1.

I am assuming that all these devices are within your network, and not actually using the internet. So, you would want a fast network router or a switch, not necessarily a fast cable modem.

I personally would recommend keeping the cable modem separate from the router, as this would give you a lot more options and not limit you to just combo devices.

 

[machenryr]

300. It was always the highest speed. That’s why the Comcast engineers who came were so baffled. They all says it was the highest possible speed.

 

[machenryr]

The switch router is gigabit. I’ll have to get back to you any further numbers.

 

[machenryr]

I’m pretty sure this is the one. https://www.netgear.com/support/product/GS105.aspx

 

[Banglazed]

I’m pretty sure this is the one. https://www.netgear.com/support/product/GS105.aspx

Have you ever check the link speed on your MBP? You can do this by tapping on the Apple logo top left, About this Mac, System Report and navigate to Network for Ethernet should show Media Subtype as 1000baseT. Also, make sure the Mac is not prioritizing Wi-Fi over Ethernet, if you have Wi-Fi available, in the Network settings.

 

[MisterSavage]

A high-speed Ethernet switch (not a hub) is pretty inexpensive. They often come in 4-port, 5-port, and 8-port versions with little cost difference. IIRC, one advantage of a switch is that it can connect 2 hosts together directly (I may be mistaken on that, it's from memory).

Was going to say the same thing. My Google WiFi node on my desk didn't have nearly enough ports but a cheap switch fixed that.

 

[machenryr]

Have you ever check the link speed on your MBP? You can do this by tapping on the Apple logo top left, About this Mac, System Report and navigate to Network for Ethernet should show Media Subtype as 1000baseT. Also, make sure the Mac is not prioritizing Wi-Fi over Ethernet, if you have Wi-Fi available, in the Network settings.

Ok. I see under network - firewall, locations, volumes, WWAN and WI-FI. I don’t see category Ethernet. This is Catalina. Maybe something is different?

I don’t know how I make sure I’m not prioritizing WiFi over Ethernet.

And thank you guys!

 

[honestone33]

Hi machenryr,

I am also a Comcast/Xfinity customer, in fact, have been with them for a long time. I have always used my own router and modem, and never experienced issues. I have a Netgear WNR3500U/WNR3500L Router connected to my Netgear CM500V Cable Modem. But given I have Landline phone service with XFinity, that modem is actually a "Telephony Modem". I was previously using an Arris Telephony Modem. My internet "tier" is Performance Pro, and for my Mac Mini, I do see download speeds of more than 200 Mbps. For my MacBook Air, via my network, the download speeds vary depend on location, but when the Air is close to the modem/router, I get 35 to 40 Mbps.

I am using the latest version of Catalina on both machines, and for the Mini, it does show Ethernet as one of the choices (and I suspect that is because I am using an ethernet cable to connect the modem to my Mac Mini). For the MacBook Air, as expected, the Ethernet choice is not there.

 

[machenryr]

Yeah. I’ve been Comcast forever. It only started failing when I added an account for my studio two years ago.